Help choosing humbucker in single coil size

[Lawless33]

Hey, guys! New here and need some suggestions on replacing a bridge pickup in my American Deluxe Strat. It currently has 3 SCN single coils. I'm okay with keeping the neck and middle pickups, but want to replace the bridge single coil with a humbucker in single coil size. I still want to have the 2 & 4 positions for the "quack" sound, but I want a beefier, fuller sounding and higher output bridge pickup.

The Strat has an ash body with a maple fretboard. I've tried using the Tone Wizard but there so many choices. I play in a couple of church praise & worship teams that play contemporary Christian music and some rock. I'm a rocker at heart!

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Wes

[9unslin9er]

Ash body? Maple fretboard? Rock n' Roll?

DiMarzio Super Distortion S

[uOpt]

I like the little demon. It's pretty good split so it won't ruin your notch sound.

[Lawless33]

Thanks, guys! I used to have a Duncan Distortion humbucker in an old Fernandes guitar and I really loved it. It rocked and was easy to get pinch harmonics

I have also looked at some of the Dimarzios, such as the Super Distortion mentioned here, as well as the Tone Zone, etc.

So hard to figure out exactly which route to go. So, if I go with a Super Distortion, Tone Zone or some other Duncan pups, they'll compromise my "quack" single coil sounds?

Wes

[Christopher Caruana]

I have an American deluxe strat (ash body) and I was actually thinking about dropping a dimarzio superD in it also. Rock on dude

[9unslin9er]

For hard rock (not brutal metal), I prefer the Super D in Ash and the Tone Zone in Alder. For some reason the Super D in Alder guitars just sounds a little TOO chunky.

[RayBarbeeMusic]

IMO the DiMarzios sound like real full sized buckers, the duncans are missing something in the lows/low mids and do not. Whether that is good or bad depends on what you want.

If you want something like a hot PAF get a Chopper or Air Norton S, if you want medium output bucker, Pro Track, if you want hot there are various flavors: Fast Track 2, Tone Zone S, Super D S, or Billy Corgan.

[atreidesheir]

SD Cool Rails sound great in ash guitars.
Lil Screamin Demon is probably 2nd favorite SD sc size humbugggy.
The Dimarzio Tone Zone S sounds interesting.

Check your guitar rout. Most strats have universal bridge routing and you could switch to a SSH pickguard for @ $15 and get a real Humbucker in there. It will sound much better. No sc size Humbuckers deliver like a real HB will. They will always rock MORE.

[Lawless33]

Thanks for all the tips, guys! I ended up purchasing a new pickguard, as when I took the old one off, the body is also routed for a humbucker. Since I previously had a Duncan Distortion bridge humbucker that I loved, I purchased the new pickguard and a new Duncan Distortion humbucker. I guess I thought that because the original pickguard was cut for a single coil that the axe needed a single coil sized pickup.

I played my old guitar (Fernandes with Duncan Distortion humbucker) today and loved it again, so I pulled the trigger and have the new humbucker and pickguard coming this week. Thanks for your help!

Wes